Predictors of patient self-advocacy among patients with chronic heart failure

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of self-advocacy among patients with chronic heart failure (HF) as they were unknown. A convenience sample of 80 participants recruited from one Midwestern HF clinic completed surveys related to relationship-based predictors of patient self-advocacy including trust in nurses and social support. Self-advocacy is operationalized using the three dimensions of HF knowledge, assertiveness, and intentional non-adherence. Hierarchical multiple regression was used showing that trust in nurses predicted HF knowledge (ΔR² = 0.070, F = 5.91, p < .05), social support predicted advocacy assertiveness (ΔR² = 0.068, F = 5.67, p < .05), and ethnicity predicted overall self-advocacy (ΔR² = 0.059, F = 4.89, p < .05). These findings suggest that support from family and friends can give the patient the needed encouragement to advocate for what they need. A trusting relationship with nurses impacts patient education so that patients not only understand their illness and its trajectory but also use that understanding to speak up for themselves. African American patients, who are less likely to self-advocate than their White counterparts, could benefit from nurses recognizing the impact of implicit bias so that these patients do not feel silenced in their care.